Vehicle with deployable towing wheels

ABSTRACT

Example apparatuses and techniques have been presented for towing tracked vehicles at high speeds without various deficiencies and for allowing a vehicle to be configured to extend supplemental wheels from a storage configuration into a ground support configuration in which the vehicle is able to make use of the supplemental wheels for additional ground support.

RELATED APPLICATION

This Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/855,511, filed on May 31, 2019, the entire contents and teachings ofwhich are incorporated herein by this reference.

BACKGROUND

Conventional tracked vehicles provide an excellent option for travelover uneven or unstable terrain. These vehicles operate a drivetrainthat drives one or more tracks that provide large contact with theground. Thus, even if the ground is slippery or uneven, traction isstill available, and the vehicle is able to move. Long tracks allow forincreased ground contact between the track and the ground. When theground is uneven, the vehicle is able to maintain traction under suchcircumstances.

SUMMARY

Embodiments are directed to vehicles, including tracked vehicles, withone or more supplemental wheels that may be used for towing and/or forproviding extra ground support (e.g., extending the effective tracklength).

Conventional tracked vehicles are effective for travel over uneven orunstable terrain. It is rare, however, for a tracked vehicle to operateat high speeds, e.g., above 40 kilometers per hour. Even when high-speedoperation is possible, sustained travel at such speeds can damage thetracks and mechanical structures that support them as well as the roadson which the vehicles are driven. It is not unusual, therefore, for atracked vehicle to be towed when it is necessary to transport it overlong distances or at high speeds.

Due to these problems, towing a tracked vehicle generally requires aflat-bed trailer. For example, a trailer can be tilted so that one endcontacts the ground. The vehicle can then be driven onto the trailer andsecured in place. Typically, getting the vehicle properly placed on theflat-bed trailer is at least a two-person job, and it is not withoutrisk to personnel. It also requires that the trailer be made available.The trailer may itself be a large, heavy object, which can be costly totransport to the required site and costly to return after the vehiclehas been moved. Thus, a more convenient solution for transporting atracked vehicle is needed.

This need may be addressed by providing a tracked vehicle with towingwheels that may be deployed in both a first position, in which thevehicle can be driven on its tracks, and a second position, in which thevehicle can be towed on the towing wheels.

In one embodiment, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes atracked vehicle having a weight, the tracked vehicle including a vehiclebody and a track. The apparatus further includes a wheel assemblycoupled to the vehicle body and configured to provide movement of awheel between a first position and a second position. No portion of thewheel extends below a lowest extent of the track with the wheel disposedin the first position. At least a portion of the wheel extends below thelowest extent of the track with the wheel disposed in the secondposition, such that at least part of the weight of the tracked vehicleis borne by the wheel.

In one embodiment, a method of towing a tracked vehicle having a trackis provided. The method includes swinging a wheel assembly coupled tothe tracked vehicle about a first axis substantially parallel to butoffset from a second axis of rotation of a wheel of the wheel assemblyuntil the wheel reaches a towing position in which a bottom portion ofthe wheel extends below a lowest extent of the track such that at leastpart of the weight of the vehicle is borne by the wheel; locking thewheel assembly into the towing position to prevent further swinging; andtowing the tracked vehicle supported on the wheel rather than the track.

In one embodiment, a wheel assembly apparatus is provided. The wheelassembly apparatus includes a wheel; an axle about which the wheelspins; an arm mounted substantially perpendicularly to the axle at aproximal end of the arm; and a shaft mounted substantially parallel tothe axle at a distal end of the arm. The shaft is operative to couplethe wheel assembly to a tracked vehicle at a mounting point. The wheelassembly further includes a lever receiver mounted at the distal end ofthe arm. The lever receiver is configured to receive a lever operativeto rotate the arm around the shaft such that the wheel swings into atowing position in which a bottom portion of the wheel extends below alowest extent of a track of the tracked vehicle such that at least partof the weight of the tracked vehicle is borne by the wheel.

Advantageously, a tracked vehicle can be towed without needing atrailer, and arranging the vehicle in the towing configuration cangenerally be accomplished by a single operator.

It should be understood that although embodiments are described inconnection with tracked vehicles, other embodiments may includeimplementation with non-tracked vehicles, such as wheeled vehicles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Features and advantages will be apparent from the following descriptionof particular embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to thesame or similar parts throughout the different views.

FIG. 1 depicts a view of an example tracked vehicle with a rear wheel ina storage configuration for use in connection with various embodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts a view of an example tracked vehicle with a rear wheel ina support configuration for use in connection with various embodiments.

FIGS. 3A-3B depict other views of an example tracked vehicle with itsrear wheel in the storage configuration for use in connection withvarious embodiments.

FIGS. 4A-4B depict other views of an example tracked vehicle with itsrear wheel in the support configuration for use in connection withvarious embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts a view of an example connection between a wheel assemblyand a vehicle according to various embodiments.

FIG. 6 depicts another view of an example tracked vehicle with its rearwheel in the storage configuration for use in connection with variousembodiments.

FIG. 7 depicts another view of an example tracked vehicle with its rearwheel in the support configuration for use in connection with variousembodiments.

FIG. 8 depicts a view of an example tracked vehicle while a wheelassembly initially in a storage configuration is being removedtherefrom.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart depicting example methods of reconfiguring avehicle with a wheel in a storage configuration to instead be in asupport configuration.

FIG. 10 depicts a view of an example tracked vehicle with a supplementalwheel installed on its side and a lever installed to configure it foruse in towing in connection with various embodiments.

FIG. 11 depicts a view of an example tracked vehicle with a supplementalwheel that has been configured for use in towing by operation of a leverin connection with various embodiments.

FIGS. 12A-12B depict views of installing a lever on an example trackedvehicle to configure it for use in towing in connection with variousembodiments.

FIGS. 13A-13B depict views of an example tracked vehicle with asupplemental wheel that has been configured for use in towing inconnection with various embodiments.

FIG. 14 depicts a view of an example vehicle with a bar for towing andjacking towing wheels in a storage configuration.

FIGS. 15A-15B depict views of an example tracked vehicle withsupplemental wheels that have been configured for use in towing inconnection with various embodiments.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart depicting example methods of reconfiguring avehicle to use a support wheel for a towing configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments are directed to vehicles, including tracked vehicles, withone or more supplemental wheels installed that may be used for extraground support (e.g., extending the effective track length) and/ortowing.

In an example, each towing wheel is part of an assembly that includes anaxle around which the wheel can be turned and an arm that extendssubstantially perpendicularly from the axle. The arm has a distal endfrom which a shaft extends substantially parallel to the axle.Establishing the first position may involve inserting the shaft into afirst receptacle, such as a first tube in a body of the vehicle, andorienting the wheel assembly so that the wheel is at or above the lowestpart of the tracks. Establishing the second position may involveinserting the shaft into a second receptacle, such as a second tube inthe body of the vehicle, and orienting the wheel assembly so that thewheel is below the lowest part of the tracks. Various retainers may beused for holding the wheels in the respective positions.

In some examples, establishing the second position involves insertingthe shaft of a wheel assembly into the second receptacle and thenrotating the wheel assembly about an axis formed by the secondreceptacle until the wheel swings below the tracks. In some cases, abracing bracket is provided to limit rotation of the wheel assembly toan angle slightly past vertical, such that normal forces of gravity holdthe wheel assembly in place with the weight of the vehicle (on theaffected side) resting on the wheel and the tracks elevated above theground. Rotation may be accomplished using a lever that inserts into aleverage receiver in the wheel assembly. Rotating the wheel assemblyusing the lever has the effect of jacking up the vehicle onto the wheel.Once rotation passes vertical and the limit imposed by the bracingbracket is reached, no additional force is needed to hold the wheel inthe second position, and an operator can secure the wheel in place usingretainers. The same process may be repeated on the other side of thevehicle.

In some examples, the first position is variable and the wheel assemblycan be rotated about an axis formed by the first receptacle to establishmultiple angles. In an example, one such angle places the wheel in astorage location above the level of the tracks and another such angleplaces the wheel in an extended location at substantially the same levelas the tracks (i.e., no more than 10 inches above the lowest level ofthe tracks, which are typically resting on the ground). In the extendedlocation, the wheel performs an additional role of extending theeffective track length of the vehicle, increasing stability and helpingto prevent the vehicle from flipping over during steep climbs ordescents.

FIG. 1 depicts a view 100 of an example tracked vehicle 102. An exampletracked vehicle may be an equipment carrier used to accompany soldiersthrough the field.

Vehicle 102 includes a vehicle body 104 as well as a drive track 106configured to propel the vehicle 106 across the ground as is well-knownin the art. In addition, vehicle 102 includes one or more (for example,two) supplemental wheels 108. As depicted in view 100, the supplementalwheels (hereinafter “wheels”) 108 are in a raised storage configurationin the rear of the vehicle 102 that allows the wheels 108 to be out ofthe way while under normal operation.

FIG. 2 depicts another view 200 of the example tracked vehicle 102 withthe wheels 108 in a lowered ground support configuration at the rear ofthe vehicle 102.

FIGS. 3A-3B depict additional views 300, 300′, respectively, of a rearcorner of the vehicle 102 while in the storage configuration.

Wheel 108 is mounted on an axle 110 that allows it to freely rotatearound the axis of the axle 110. Axle 110 is mounted on an arm 112 thatis mounted to the vehicle body 104 at both ends. Axle 110 is mountedsubstantially perpendicular to the arm 112. The term “substantially”perpendicular means within 10 degrees of perpendicular. A mountingbracket 114 is mounted at one end of the arm 112 adjacent to the axle110. This mounting bracket 114 may be affixed to another mountingbracket 116 mounted on the vehicle body 104. For example, a retainingpin 140 may be placed through a hole 115 on mounting bracket 114 andanother hole 117 on mounting bracket 116. Retaining pin 140 may beremoved from holes 115, 117 by sliding it upwards in direction 142.Various types of retaining pins 140 may be used, such as, for example, ahitch pin. In some embodiments, other affixation mechanism may be usedinstead of a retaining pin 140.

A bracing bracket 118 is mounted at the opposite end of the arm 112 awayfrom the axle 110. This bracing bracket 118 may also be affixed to thevehicle body 104. As depicted, a shaft 134 protrudes (see FIG. 8 for aclearer depiction) substantially perpendicular to the arm 112 andsubstantially parallel to the axle 110 (but offset from the axle 110 byabout the length of the arm 112) at the bracing bracket 118 into a tube122 mounted on the body 104. The term “substantially” parallel meanswithin 10 degrees of parallel. A peg 120 also protrudes from the bracingbracket 118 substantially parallel to the shaft 134 and fits into one ormore depressions 128, 130 (see FIG. 5) in the body 104 to keep the arm112 in place. Thus, through mounting on both ends of the arm 112, thewheel 108 is affixed solidly to the vehicle body 104.

FIGS. 4A-4B depict additional views 400, 400′, respectively, of the samerear corner of the vehicle 102 while in an extended ground supportconfiguration. Wheel 108 has been tilted backwards by separatingbrackets 114, 116 and rotating arm 112 around the shaft 134 towards therear of the vehicle 102. As can be seen in view 700 of FIG. 7, a hole138 through shaft 134 has become exposed through hole 126 in tube 122,while nearby hole 124 of tube 122 reveals the shaft 134 underneath. Inview 700 of FIG. 7, peg 120 has been inserted into depression 130 (notvisible in FIG. 7). A retaining pin (e.g., retaining pin 140) can thenbe inserted through holes 126, 138 to prevent the shaft 134 from slidingwithin tube 122, locking the wheel 108 into place in the ground supportconfiguration.

FIG. 6 depicts a view 600, which is similar to view 700 except that thewheel 108 has not been rotated into the ground support configuration,but rather remains in the storage configuration of FIGS. 1, 3A, and 3B.In view 600, peg 120 has been inserted into depression 128 (not visiblein FIG. 7) rather than depression 130. In addition, another hole 136through shaft 134 has become exposed through hole 124 in tube 122, whilehole 126 of tube 122 reveals the shaft 134 underneath. In someembodiments, a retaining pin (e.g., similar to retaining pin 140) may beinserted through holes 126, 136 to prevent the shaft 134 from slidingwithin tube 122, locking the wheel 108 into place in the storageconfiguration. In other embodiments, no retaining pin is used throughshaft 134 and tube 122 when in the storage configuration. In theseembodiments, after removal of the retaining pin 140 from holes 115, 117and rotation of the arm 112 to tilt the wheel 108 into the groundsupport configuration, retaining pin 140 may be inserted into holes 126,138.

FIG. 8 illustrates the removal of a wheel assembly 150 from the storageconfiguration according to various embodiments. Wheel assembly 150includes wheel 108, axle 110, mounting bracket 114 (and its hole 115),arm 112, bracing bracket 118, and peg 120. Wheel assembly 150 alsoincludes a leverage receiver 132, mounted substantially perpendicular toboth the arm 112 and the axle 110, adjacent to the bracing bracket 118.Wheel assembly 150 may also include various other components, not (yet)described. In view 800, retaining pin 140 has been removed from holes115, 117 by sliding it upwards in direction 142 (see FIG. 3A), and wheelassembly 150 has been pulled away from body 104 by sliding in direction144. If the wheel assembly 150 is to be rotated so that the wheel 108 isin the ground support configuration, then wheel assembly 150 istypically not slid as far along direction 144 as depicted in FIG. 8.Rather, after retaining pins have been removed, it is typically slidalong direction 144 just enough for the peg 120 to clear depression 128.After that is done, the wheel assembly 150 is free to rotate back to theground support configuration. Then wheel assembly 150 may be slidopposite direction 144 to place peg 120 into depression 130, bracing itinto place until the retaining pin 140 is inserted through holes 126,138, locking the wheel assembly 150 into the ground supportconfiguration.

It should be understood that although only two depressions 128, 130 havebeen depicted (associated with the storage configuration and the groundsupport configuration, respectively) and only two holes 124, 126 in tube122 have been depicted (associated with holes 136, 138, in shaft 134respectively), additional depressions and holes may also be used toenable additional configurations. Thus, for example, if an additionaldepression were placed in between depressions 128 and 130 (as well as acorresponding set of holes in shaft 134 and tube 122), then it may bepossible to lock the wheel assembly 150 into another configuration inbetween the storage configuration and the ground support configuration.Similarly, if an additional depression were placed past depression 130(as well as a corresponding set of holes in shaft 134 and tube 122),then it may be possible to lock the wheel assembly 150 into anotherconfiguration in which wheel 108 is rotated even further back than inthe ground support configuration.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example method 900 for reconfiguring vehicle 102from the storage configuration of a wheel 108 (see FIG. 1) to the groundsupport configuration of that wheel 108 (see FIG. 2). It should beunderstood that in embodiments in which multiple wheels 108 are used(e.g., one on each side), method 900 may be performed with respect toonly one wheel 108 or with respect to more than one of the wheels 108,as desired. It should be understood that one or more of the steps orsub-steps of method 900 may be omitted in some embodiments. Similarly,in some embodiments, one or more steps or sub-steps may be combinedtogether or performed in a different order. Sub-steps marked with dashedlines are optional and/or represent alternative embodiments.

In step 910, an operator removes a retaining mechanism attaching thewheel assembly 150 to the rear of the vehicle body 104. In variousembodiments, step 910 may include one or both of sub-steps 912, 914. Inother embodiments, another retaining mechanism may be used instead.

In sub-step 912, the operator removes retaining pin 140 attaching afirst bracket (e.g., mounting bracket 114) mounted on the axle 110 to asecond bracket (e.g., mounting bracket 116) mounted on the body 104,e.g., by sliding retaining pin 140 in direction 142 out of holes 115,117 (see FIGS. 3A, 3B).

In sub-step 914, the operator removes a retaining pin (not depicted)attaching shaft 134 of the wheel assembly 150 to a tube 122 mounted onthe body 104, e.g., by sliding the retaining pin out of holes 124, 136(see FIG. 6).

Then, in step 920, the operator tilts the wheel 108 back into a desiredposition (e.g., the ground support configuration) by rotating the arm112 of the wheel assembly 150 so that its shaft 134 rotates within thetube 122 mounted at the rear of the body 104 (compare FIG. 3A to FIG.4A). In some embodiments, step 920 may include sub-steps 922 and 928.

In sub-step 922, prior to tilting the wheel 108 back, the operator firstpulls the wheel assembly 150 away from the body 104 (e.g., in direction144; see FIG. 8) so that the peg 120 on the bracing bracket 118 isremoved from a first depression (e.g., depression 128; see FIGS. 5 and6). Then, in sub-step 928, after tilting the wheel 108 back, theoperator then pushes the wheel assembly 150 back towards the body 104(e.g., opposite direction 144) so that the peg 120 on the bracingbracket 118 is inserted into a second depression (e.g., depression 130;see FIGS. 5 and 7).

Then, in step 930, the operator affixes the wheel assembly 150 to thebody 104 using a retaining mechanism. For example, in some embodiments,step 930 is performed using sub-step 935. In sub-step 935, the operatorinserts a retaining pin (e.g., retaining pin 140 that was removed insub-step 912 or the retaining pin that was removes in sub-step 914) toattach shaft 134 of the wheel assembly 150 to the tube 122, e.g., bysliding the retaining pin into holes 126, 138 (see FIG. 7).

Then, in step 940, the operator may operate the vehicle 102 with thewheel(s) 108 in the ground support configuration, enabling extendedsupport of the vehicle 102 against the ground. In other embodiments, thevehicle 102 is operated with the wheel(s) 108 either further up orfurther back of the ground support configuration, as desired.

Attention is now drawn to embodiments for towing vehicle 102.

FIG. 10 depicts view 1000 respectively, of vehicle 102 in an exampleintermediate state in the middle of configuration for use in towing inconnection with various embodiments. In some embodiments, wheel assembly150 may previously have been removed from the rear of the body 104 (see,e.g., FIG. 8) and then slid into a tube 208 (see FIGS. 12A, 12B) mountedin the middle of the body 104. In other embodiments, wheel assembly 150may have previously been removed from another location on the body 104or wheel assembly 150 may have not previously been mounted anywhere onthe vehicle 102.

As depicted, wheel 108 includes a hub 202 at its center, around axle110. Wheel assembly 150 may initially be inserted such that the wheel108 rests on the ground (e.g., at the same level as the bottom of thetrack 106), or it may be inserted such that wheel 108 is off the groundand then allowed to fall until it hits the ground. In this initialconfiguration, shaft 134 is inserted into tube 208 with bracing bracket118 (not visible in FIG. 10; see FIG. 12A) and leverage receiver 132facing substantially upwards or tilted slightly towards the front of thevehicle 102 (e.g., within 25 degrees forward of straight up), asdepicted in FIG. 10. As seen in view 1200 of FIG. 12A, in this initialposition, bracing bracket 118 is not engaged with a U-shaped bracket 210that is mounted on body 104 forward of the tube 208.

It can be seen in view 1200 of FIG. 12A that leverage receiver 132 mayinclude one or more holes 204 that are configured to fit a retaining pin222 (see FIG. 14). In some embodiments, retaining pin 222 may be similarto retaining pin 140. Leverage receiver 132 also includes a leveragehole 206 configured to receive a lever bar 218 (see view 1200′ of FIG.12B for a depiction of lever bar 218 inserted into leverage hole 206 ofleverage receiver 132). FIG. 12B depicts an example view 1200′ of leverbar 218 inserted into the leverage receiver 132 while the wheel assembly150 is still in the intermediate state of FIG. 10. One or more retainingpins 222 may be inserted through one or more of the holes 204 and one ormore holes through the lever bar 218 (not depicted) in order to preventthe lever bar 218 from slipping out of leverage hole 206 during leverageoperation.

FIG. 10 also illustrates an example process of operating the lever bar218 to configure an example tracked vehicle 102 for towing in connectionwith various embodiments. In view 1000 of FIG. 10, operator rotates thelever bar 218 along direction 220 of rotation. This results in leveraction causing the vehicle 102 to be jacked up onto wheel 108 and off oftrack 106 as depicted in view 1100 of FIG. 11. In view 1100, the leverbar 218 has rotated in direction 220 to a new position facingsubstantially towards the front of vehicle 102 (e.g., within 25degrees). View 1100 depicts vehicle 102 when it has just about reached atowing configuration (although lever bar 218 should still be removed andthe vehicle 102 should still be hitched to the towing vehicle—see belowin connection with FIG. 15B).

FIGS. 13A, 13B depict views 1300, 1300′ respectively, of vehicle 102 inan example towing configuration (e.g., after view 1100) for use intowing in connection with various embodiments. In this configuration,bracing bracket 118 has moved forward until it has been fully insertedinto U-shaped bracket 210. In this configuration, a hole 216 on bracingbracket 118 is lined up with another hole 214 on a mounting bracket 212that is mounted on body 104 near the U-shaped bracket 210. Thus, asdepicted in view 1300′ of FIG. 13B, a retaining pin 140 may be insertedthrough holes 214, 216 to lock the wheel assembly 150 into place duringtowing.

In some embodiments (see, e.g., FIG. 11), when in the towingconfiguration, arm 112 has extended backwards slightly past a verticalconfiguration (compare FIG. 10 in which arm 112 is close to horizontaland facing forwards with FIG. 11 in which the arm 112 is almost verticaland facing slightly backwards). This configuration is beneficial becauseonce the arm 112 is facing backwards, the weight of the vehicle 102 willtend to keep it in place, so that a single operator is able to let go ofthe lever bar 218 prior to inserting retaining pin 140 through holes214, 216 to lock the wheel assembly 150 into place during towing.

FIG. 14 depicts a view 1400 of an example vehicle 102 with a lever bar218 for both towing and jacking towing wheels 108 in a storageconfiguration. Thus, lever bar 218 is stored on the top 221 of thevehicle body 104, held in place by one or more straps 224. A retainingpin 222 may also affix the lever bar 218 at one end to the top 221 ofthe body 104.

FIGS. 15A-15B depict views 1500, 1500′, respectively, of an exampletracked vehicle 102 with wheels 108 that have been configured for use intowing in connection with various embodiments. View 1500 is from therear of the vehicle 102. It can be seen that a wheel 108 is placed oneach side (left and right) of the vehicle 102, and the vehicle 102 isjacked up on the wheels 108 so that the tracks 106 do not make contactwith the ground. Thus, the weight of the vehicle is supported by thewheels 108 rather than by the track 106. Arms 112 can also be seenbetween each wheel 108 and its nearby track 106. As depicted in view1500, the wheels 108 are not quite parallel to the tracks 106 (i.e., thewheels 108 are not quite perpendicular to the ground). This is becauseview 1500 has been generated without accounting for the weight of thevehicle 102 against the ground. Thus, as is well-known in the art, theengineering tolerances have been designed such that without a load, thewheels 108 are not quite parallel to the tracks 106 because once theload of the vehicle 102 is applied, the wheels 108 will be pushed out bythe weight and then they will be parallel to the tracks 106.

View 1500′ is a side view of the vehicle 102 again with the vehicle 102jacked up onto wheels 108 rather than on the tracks 106. In this view1500′ it can be seen that the lever bar 218 has been removed from theleverage receiver 132 and attached to a towing hitch assembly 226 at thefront of the vehicle body 104 (e.g., using retaining pin 222, notdepicted in FIG. 15B). Lever bar 218 is thus used as a towing connectorto attach the vehicle 102 to a towing vehicle (not depicted).

FIG. 16 is a flowchart depicting an example method 1600 according tovarious embodiments of reconfiguring a vehicle 102 use a wheel 108 fortowing. It should be understood that in embodiments in which multiplewheels 108 are used, method 1600 is typically performed with respect totwo or more of the wheels 108, as desired. It should be understood thatone or more of the steps or sub-steps of method 1600 may be omitted insome embodiments. Similarly, in some embodiments, one or more steps orsub-steps may be combined together or performed in a different order.Steps and sub-steps marked with dashed lines are either optional orrepresent alternative embodiments.

In some embodiments, method 1600 may begin with step 1610. In step 1610,an operator removes a retaining mechanism attaching the wheel assembly150 to the rear of the vehicle body 104. Step 1610 is similar to step910, described above in further detail. In addition, as part of step1610, the operator slides the wheel assembly 150 completely away fromthe vehicle body 104 in direction 144 as depicted in FIG. 8. In otherembodiments, step 1610 may be omitted, the wheel assembly 150 beingstored at a different location (e.g., elsewhere on the vehicle 102 orentirely off the vehicle).

In step 1620, the operator inserts (e.g., opposite direction 144) theshaft 134 of the wheel assembly 150 into the tube 208 mounted at themiddle of the body 104.

Then, in step 1630, the operator allows the wheel 108 to fall to theground, thereby rotating the wheel assembly 150 into an initial position(see e.g., FIG. 10). In some embodiments step 1630 may be omitted eitherbecause the wheel assembly 150 was initially inserted exactly at theinitial position or because the leverage operation may begin with thewheel 108 off of the ground.

Then, in step 1640, the operator inserts the lever bar 218 (which mayhave been removed from its storage location on the top 221 of the body104, see FIG. 14) into the leverage hole 206 of the leverage receiver132. See FIG. 12B. In some embodiments, as part of step 1640, operatoralso performs sub-step 1645 in which one or more retaining pins 222 isinserted through holes 204 of the leverage receiver 132 as well asthrough a hole (not depicted) through the lever bar 218. Sub-step 1645is a safety precaution to prevent the lever bar 218 from falling out ofthe leverage hole 206 during step 1650.

Then, in step 1650, the operator operates the lever bar 218 to rotatethe wheel 108 along direction 220 (see FIG. 10) to a position below thebottom of the vehicle track 106, thereby jacking the vehicle 102 up ontothe wheel 108 instead of the vehicle 102 resting on the track 106 asbefore. In some embodiments, step 1650 may be accomplished via sub-step1655 in which the operator operates the lever bar 218 until a bracingbracket 118 on the wheel assembly 150 hits a bracket 210 mounted on thebody 104 that prevents further forward rotation (see FIG. 13B).

Then, in step 1660, the operator affixes the wheel assembly 150 to thebody 104. In some embodiments, step 1660 may be accomplished viasub-step 1665 in which the operator inserts a retaining pin (e.g., thesame retaining pin 140 as previously used in step 1610 (see sub-step 912from method 900)) through holes 214, 216 on the bracing bracket 118 andon mounting bracket 212, respectively (see FIGS. 13A, 13B).

Then, in step 1670, the operator may tow the vehicle 102 on thejacked-up wheels 108 (see FIGS. 15A, 15B). In some embodiments, step1670 includes sub-step 1675 in which the operator first removes thelever bar 218 from the leverage receiver 132 and uses it as a towingconnector by hitching the lever bar 218 to the towing hitch assembly 226(see FIG. 15B).

Thus, example apparatuses and techniques have been presented for towingtracked vehicles (e.g., vehicles 102) at high speeds without the noteddeficiencies of high speed usage. This may be accomplished byconfiguring these vehicles 102 to be used with towing wheels 108 thatmay easily be installed while jacking up the vehicle 102 off its track106 using a wheel assembly 150. In some embodiments, a single operatormay configure the vehicle 102 for towing using a lever system (e.g.,using lever bar 218). In some embodiments, the towing wheels 108 may bestored elsewhere (e.g., at the rear, see FIG. 1) on the vehicle 102 foreasy access. In some embodiments, the lever bar 218 may be stored on thevehicle 102 for easy access (e.g., at the top 221, see FIG. 14). In someembodiments, the lever bar 218 may also be used as a towing connector(see, e.g., FIG. 15B). Advantageously, the various embodiments providedallow the vehicle 102 to be easily configured for raised towing.

In addition, example apparatuses and techniques have been presented forallowing a vehicle (e.g., vehicles 102) to be configured to extendsupplemental wheels 108 from a storage configuration (see, e.g., FIGS.1, 3A, 3B) into a ground support configuration (see, e.g., FIGS. 2, 4A,4B) in which the vehicle 102 is able to make use of the supplementalwheels 108 for additional ground support. This may be accomplished byusing a wheel assembly 150 that is able to rotate a supplemental wheel108 from a storage position into a usage position with locks in both (ormultiple) positions (see, e.g., FIGS. 3A-4B and 6-7). In someembodiments, a single wheel assembly 150 may be used to allow a singlestorage configuration (see, e.g., FIGS. 1, 3A, 3B) to be reconfiguredfor both extended ground support (see, e.g., FIGS. 2, 4A, 4B) and towing(see, e.g., FIGS. 13A-13B and 15A-15B), depending on the situation.

As used throughout this document, the words “comprising,” “including,”“containing,” and “having” are intended to set forth certain items,steps, elements, or aspects of something in an open-ended fashion. Also,as used herein and unless a specific statement is made to the contrary,the word “set” means one or more of something. This is the caseregardless of whether the phrase “set of” is followed by a singular orplural object and regardless of whether it is conjugated with a singularor plural verb. Further, although ordinal expressions, such as “first,”“second,” “third,” and so on, may be used as adjectives herein, suchordinal expressions are used for identification purposes and, unlessspecifically indicated, are not intended to imply any ordering orsequence. Thus, for example, a “second” event may take place before orafter a “first event,” or even if no first event ever occurs. Inaddition, an identification herein of a particular element, feature, oract as being a “first” such element, feature, or act should not beconstrued as requiring that there must also be a “second” or other suchelement, feature or act. Rather, the “first” item may be the only one.Although certain embodiments are disclosed herein, it is understood thatthese are provided by way of example only and that the invention is notlimited to these particular embodiments.

While various embodiments have been particularly shown and described, itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes inform and details may be made therein without departing from the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

For example, it should be understood that although a shaft 134 of wheelassembly 150 has been described as fitting into tubes 122, 208 mountedon body 104, these elements may be reversed without altering the basicprinciples of operation. Thus, in some embodiments, a tube of wheelassembly 150 slides (along direction 144 and its reverse) around a shaftmounted on body 104, taking the place of tube 122 or 208, either at therear or the middle of the vehicle 102.

As another example, although various embodiments have been described asbeing methods, software embodying these methods is also included.

Furthermore, it should be understood that all embodiments which havebeen described may be combined in all possible combinations with eachother, except to the extent that such combinations have been explicitlyexcluded.

Finally, even if a technique, method, apparatus, or other concept isspecifically labeled as “background,” Applicant makes no admission thatsuch technique, method, apparatus, or other concept is actually priorart under 35 U.S.C. § 102 or 35 U.S.C. § 103, such determination being alegal determination that depends upon many factors, not all of which areknown to Applicant at this time.

TABLE 1 Table of reference characters. Reference Character Description102 Vehicle 104 Body of vehicle 102 106 Track of vehicle 102 108Towing/Extension Wheel 110 Axle of wheel 108 112 Arm of wheel assembly150 114 Mounting Bracket mounted on axle 110 115 Retaining Pin Hole onbracket 114 116 Mounting Bracket mounted on body 104 117 Retaining PinHole on bracket 116 118 Bracing Bracket 120 Peg that braces bracket 118against body 104 122 Tube mounted on body 104 for receiving shaft 134124 Hole on tube 122 for receiving a retaining pin when wheel assembly150 is in a stored position and hole 136 within shaft 134 is exposed 126Hole on tube 122 for receiving a retaining pin when wheel assembly 150is in a lowered position (for use in extending the support of thevehicle 102) and hole 138 within shaft 134 is exposed 128 Depression inbody 104 for receiving peg 120 when wheel assembly 150 is in a storedposition 130 Depression in body 104 for receiving peg 120 when wheelassembly 150 is in a lowered position (for use in extending the supportof the vehicle 102). 132 Leverage Receiver for receiving lever 218 134Shaft of wheel assembly 150 for insertion into vehicle- mounted tubes122 and 208 136 Hole within shaft 134 for receiving a retaining pin whenwheel assembly 150 is in a stored position 138 Hole within shaft 134 forreceiving a retaining pin when wheel assembly 150 is in a loweredposition (for use in extending the support of the vehicle 102) 140Retaining Pin for insertion into holes 115 and 117 (may also be insertedinto holes 214 and 216 142 Direction of removal of pin 140 from holes115 and 117 144 Direction of removal of wheel assembly 150 from body 104150 Wheel Assembly 202 Hub of wheel 108 204 Holes in leverage receiver132 for receiving retaining pin(s) 222 206 Leverage Hole in leveragereceiver 132 for receiving lever 218 208 Tube mounted on body 104 forreceiving shaft 134 when in a towing configuration 210 U-shaped Bracketfor bracing against bracing bracket 118 212 Mounting Bracket mounted onbody 104 for use in a towing configuration 214 Retaining Pin Hole onbracket 212 216 Retaining Pin Hole on bracket 118 218 Lever forleveraging wheel assembly 150 into a towing configuration 220 Directionof rotation of lever 218 for rotating wheel assembly 150 into a towingconfiguration 221 Top Surface of body 104 222 Retaining Pin for affixinglever 218 to leverage receiver 132 224 Rubber Straps for attaching lever218 to top surface 221 226 Towing hitch assembly

We claim:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a tracked vehicle having a weight,the tracked vehicle including a vehicle body and a track; and a wheelassembly coupled to the vehicle body and configured to provide movementof a wheel between a first position and a second position; wherein noportion of the wheel extends below a lowest extent of the track with thewheel disposed in the first position; and wherein at least a portion ofthe wheel extends below the lowest extent of the track with the wheeldisposed in the second position, such that at least part of the weightof the tracked vehicle is borne by the wheel.
 2. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the wheel assembly further includes a coupling that rotatablyattaches the wheel assembly to a mounting point of the vehicle body; andwherein the wheel assembly is configured to rotate about the mountingpoint to move the wheel between the first position and the secondposition.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the coupling includes ashaft and wherein the wheel assembly further includes: an axle aboutwhich the wheel is configured to spin; an arm having a proximal endattached to the axle and a distal end attached to the shaft, the armestablishing an offset between the shaft and the axle such that theshaft and the axle are not coaxial; and a lever receiver mounted to thearm adjacent to the shaft, the lever receiver configured to hold a leverat a fixed angle relative to the arm as force is applied to the lever tomove the wheel from the first position to the second position.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3, further comprising the lever, wherein the lever isconfigured to operate as a towing connector to connect the trackedvehicle to a towing vehicle when not being used for rotating the wheel.5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the vehicle body includes a stopelement configured to prevent the wheel from moving past the secondposition.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the stop element isdisposed relative to the mounting point at a location that permits thearm of the wheel assembly to move past a vertical orientation beforebeing stopped by the stop element, such that the wheel is held in thesecond position by force of gravity and without any force being appliedto the lever.
 7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the vehicle bodyincludes a first mounting structure with a first hole therein; whereinthe wheel assembly includes a second mounting structure with a secondhole therein; and wherein, when the wheel assembly is oriented with thewheel in the second position, the first hole and the second hole arealigned and a retaining pin passes through the first and second holes tolock the wheel assembly in place.
 8. The apparatus of claim 2 whereinthe wheel assembly is operative to be removed from the vehicle body bythe coupling being uncoupled from the mounting point.
 9. The apparatusof claim 8 wherein the vehicle body further includes another mountingpoint, the coupling operative to couple to the other mounting point suchthat the wheel assembly is coupled to the vehicle body and does notinterfere with a driving operation of the tracked vehicle.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 8 wherein the vehicle body further includes anothermounting point at a rear of the vehicle body, wherein the wheel assemblyis operative to couple to the other mounting point in a supportconfiguration at an angle that places the wheel at a level of the trackand extending a length of ground contact of the tracked vehicle.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 10 wherein the wheel assembly, when mounted to theother mounting point, is operative to swing between the supportconfiguration and a storage configuration by rotating the wheel assemblyabout the other mounting point.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, whereinthe vehicle body includes a first mounting structure having a first holetherein; wherein the wheel assembly includes a second mounting structurehaving a second hole therein; and wherein, when the wheel assembly isdisposed in the storage configuration, the first hole and the secondhole are aligned and a retaining pin passes through the first and secondholes to lock the wheel assembly in place.
 13. The apparatus of claim11, wherein the coupling is a first cylindrical coupling member having afirst hole therein; wherein the vehicle body includes a secondcylindrical coupling member having a second hole therein; and wherein,when the wheel assembly is disposed in the storage configuration, thefirst hole and the second hole are aligned and a retaining pin passesthrough the first and second holes to lock the wheel assembly in place.14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second cylindrical couplingmember has a third hole therein; and wherein, when the wheel assembly isdisposed in the support configuration, the third hole and the first holeare aligned and a retaining pin passes through the first and third holesto lock the wheel assembly into place.
 15. A method of towing a trackedvehicle having a track, the method comprising: swinging a wheel assemblycoupled to the tracked vehicle about a first axis substantially parallelto but offset from a second axis of rotation of a wheel of the wheelassembly until the wheel reaches a towing position in which a bottomportion of the wheel extends below a lowest extent of the track suchthat at least part of the weight of the vehicle is borne by the wheel;locking the wheel assembly into the towing position to prevent furtherswinging; and towing the tracked vehicle supported on the wheel ratherthan the track.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the method furthercomprises, prior to swinging the wheel assembly, coupling a shaft of thewheel assembly to a mounting point on the tracked vehicle by pushing theshaft along the first axis while the wheel is entirely above the lowestextent of the track.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the methodfurther comprises, prior to coupling the shaft of the wheel assembly tothe mounting point on the tracked vehicle by pushing the shaft along thefirst axis, removing the shaft of the wheel assembly from an alternatemounting point elsewhere on the tracked vehicle, the shaft havingpreviously coupled to the alternate mounting point such that the wheelassembly was coupled to the tracked vehicle body without interferingwith driving operation of the tracked vehicle.
 18. The method of claim15 wherein swinging includes: inserting a lever into a lever receivermounted on the wheel assembly adjacent to the first axis; and pushingthe lever to rotate the wheel assembly about the first axis.
 19. Themethod of claim 18 wherein towing the tracked vehicle includes: removingthe lever from the lever receiver; connecting the tracked vehicle to atowing vehicle using the lever as a towing connector; and operating thetowing vehicle to pull the tracked vehicle while rolling on the wheel.20. A wheel assembly apparatus comprising: a wheel; an axle about whichthe wheel spins; an arm mounted substantially perpendicularly to theaxle at a proximal end of the arm; a shaft mounted substantiallyparallel to the axle at a distal end of the arm, the shaft operative tocouple the wheel assembly to a tracked vehicle at a mounting point; anda lever receiver mounted at the distal end of the arm, the leverreceiver configured to receive a lever operative to rotate the armaround the shaft such that the wheel swings into a towing position inwhich a bottom portion of the wheel extends below a lowest extent of atrack of the tracked vehicle such that at least part of the weight ofthe tracked vehicle is borne by the wheel.